So many things to see...

**Top 13 of 2013**

First was the Top 11 of 2011, then came the top 12 of 2012.  So, it only makes sense to have the Top 13 of 2013, right???  Oh boy, what the heck am I going to do when it gets to a year like 2025?  I guess it means I just have to keep doing more and more events each year so that I have a bigger pool of events to choose from.  Yeah, that's it!

For some reason, this year's list was a little harder for me to compile.  I had a lot of great moments but nothing that was as truly special as my number one of 2012 - my heart to heart conversation with Brian on my birthday.  It wasn't the fact that I didn't do anything this year, it was more that I did a lot and a lot of great moments happened.

I know that many of these moments don't have their own blog post yet and I apologize in advance for that.  I have been traveling a lot this year, I went from having a part-time job to a full-time career (my first ever might I add), and my husband and I bought our first home.  Needless to say, there have been so many good things that have happened to me this year.  But, as most of you know, this is a Backstreet (with some other boys bands thrown in occasionally)/University of Kentucky blog so that is where I will focus my attention.

13. Bringing in the New Year with BSB - Okay so this event was sort of on my list for 2012, as well.  However, is there a better way to start a year than spending it with BSB???  I think not!  I was there in the audience with my best friends when the clock struck midnight and the streamers and balloons fell down upon us.  At that moment I knew it was going to just be a good year.

12.  Afterparty with Aaron anyone? - Sometimes an event can be more memorable because of bad things that happen rather than good things.  Seeing Aaron Carter during his After Party Tour might be one of those cases.  Now, don't get me wrong, the show itself was excellent!  However, standing in the cold to get into the venue and then standing for almost four hours through five opening acts can take its toll on you.  Meeting Aaron afterwards made up for it though.

11.  Fun in the Sun (blog coming soon!) - So what does a normal person do after a cruise?  Simple, a person normally returns home to the daily grind of his or her life.  Now, what does a person do after a Backstreet Boys Cruise?  If that person is smart, she takes a vacation!  It only took us three years of cruising with BSB to discover that taking a vacation after a Backstreet Cruise is probably one of the best things a group of girls can do.  Our trip to Ft. Lauderdale after this year's cruise allowed us to rest our sore achy feet, helped us avoid getting on airplanes with compromised immune systems due to a complete lack of sleep, and gave us time to talk about the cruise with one another in person as we laid around the pool or went around in the lazy river over and over again,  rather than sending a million e-mails with one another.  I also found that this trip helped tremendously with the Backstreet withdrawals once I got home.

10.  Big Blue Weekend - For me, the next best thing to a weekend attending a Backstreet Boys event, is a weekend attending University of Kentucky athletics' events.  After years of trying, I was finally able to make it to a UK Baseball series in Lexington.  To make matters even better, the Spring Football Game happened to be the same weekend.  I got to meet all of the baseball team during their post game autograph session; got to see former Bat Cat, Michael Williams, whom I had traveled to New York to see the previous year; and got another photo with my favorite Bat Cat, Corey Littrell.  It was a great weekend filled with a lot of Wildcat love!

9.  You gotta live it Big Time  - Yes, there is a new boy band in my life.  Sure, they are no Backstreet Boys, but Big Time Rush is still pretty awesome.  Because I had no one in my area to attend a show with, I decided that it would be perfect to travel to see a show with the people that got me started on them (of course, we blame Ash).  The Mohegan Sun in Connecticut was the lucky establishment that we would grace with our attendance.  I got to meet the group during VIP and it was at this show that my inner conflict on my favorite Big Time Rush member was resolved.  Congratulations Carlos for beating out Logan for that one.  As always, this trip was just as much about getting to see all of the people that I don't get to see often as it was about going to the concert.

8.  "It's Christmas Time Again" (coming soon!) - After BSB Cruise 2013, I thought it was going to be months before I got to see BSB again.  They had announced some holiday shows but I couldn't really swing going to any of them....until they announced that they would be coming to Chicago!  Yippee!!!!  I couldn't pass up the price of the VIP, which may not have included a soundcheck but it did include a solo photo with the group.  I got a lot of extra love from Kevin on this day between my extra long hug with the words a fan girl always wants to hear from her favorites, "it's nice to see you again," his acknowledgement of my UK gear while standing in line for the photo, and his compliment of my UK hat during the concert.  Plus one can not beat the fact that I got the rare hug from all five guys during the photo session and was the center of a "Kentucky Cousin Sandwich" for my photo.

7.  Beating Cancer "Step by Step" (coming soon!) - Okay so this event isn't particularly related to attending a boy band concert or a UK athletic event...but it was still extremely important to me and is somewhat related to boy bands.  After some disappointment in only walking 20 of the 60 miles of the 2012 Susan G. Komen Chicago 3-Day, I decided I had to try again in 2013 as the team captain of Team Betty, named so for it's involvement with Remember Betty (the organization founded by New Kid's member, Danny Wood).  After focusing more on my training, I am proud to say that I walked every single mile of that 60 mile walk this year!  It was painful and I wanted to give up so much on that third day.  But, I kept going.  The fact that I completed such an accomplishment after some failure the year before is why this is put so high on this year's list.

6.  What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas (coming soon!) - Okay, maybe there really are no secrets when it comes to sharing the details of my Backstreet trips.  In 2012, my birthday was spent talking about life with Brian Littrell.  I'm not sure anything can really beat that birthday.  This year's birthday was special in a different way because all of my girls and I hopped on some planes and met in Vegas for some Backstreet fun!  The soundcheck was probably one of the best I have been to because we got a nice surprise visit from Kathy Griffin.  I was able to make my VIP photo a memorable one for many birthday's to come.  And the show itself....well, when you are right up against the stage there are so many memorable moments to be had (especially since it was the only full show I saw for this particular tour - more on that later).  Finally, being sung "Happy Birthday" by my best friends that I only get to see a few times a year pretty much gets the icing on the cake...or in our case, the icing on the cupcakes.

5.  'Cause a Backstreet party don't stop (coming soon!)   - Before spending my birthday in Vegas, a few of us decided to head to California for more Backstreet fun.  Arriving with the intention of buying VIPs at the show can always be a gamble.  Luckily, Justin took care of us (he got rewarded with some cupcakes in Vegas for that...which I found out during the Holiday Show, he had forgotten on the table and never ate).  It was SO HOT as we were waiting for soundcheck.  However, Justin chose me to ask a question during soundcheck (my first ever) and Kevin once again acknowledged my UK gear.  We had the fan pit for the show, which was being recorded for the documentary (crosses fingers we make it into that), so being that close is always an amazing experience...even if you get their backs (okay their backs also mean their rear ends) in your face.  However, the most memorable moment of this trip was the after party!  We left the show a song early (now my second time of not seeing the full show...the first comes later) to get a good spot for the after party....we got front row, which also means being VERY close to Nick, Howie, and Kev.  The bruises on my legs from being pushed into the stage the whole night were totally worth it after being pulled up on stage by Kev and having all of Nick Carter dancing right in front of your face.  I still blush sometimes thinking about this event and how a friend and I were caught by Nick taking some interesting photos.

4.  Cruisin' with BSB (coming soon!) - Like many of you, I really thought BSB Cruise 2013 was going to be higher than this on my list because, well, it was freaking AMAZING!  I mean we had BSB in Captain's uniforms (more than once), Brian and I had a small photo shoot on the first day, I was in the Wylee fashion show, I got a photo with Howie on the beach,  we had some very personal moments with Kev in the atrium during his solo event, Brian looked way hot in his way tight pants for his cop costume on Halloween night, and some of the Boys were just out of control on Bachelorette night.  Now, just reading what I wrote makes me wonder if this should, in fact, be higher on my list...

3.  My Boyband Bonanza Weekend  - This event is exactly what it sounds like...a weekend of boy bands!  Really I think that posting this video I made right afterwards explains this weekend well...

2.  The Windy City Blows It (coming soon!) - I'm not going to lie, I'm giggling at what I think was a very clever title to this event.  Just nod your head and smile, I easily amuse myself.  As seen in my number three event of the year, my Boyband Bonanza weekend started with a BSB concert in Chicago.  This is a day that I will always remember, for the good and the bad.  It started off with a morning standing in the pouring rain to see the guys perform at a free event for the local television station, where I actually made it on TV with AJ and got some acknowledgement from Brian and Kevin.  Then, I got some more Brian love during soundcheck with an acknowledgement of my UK shirt (have you noticed a trend yet of my concert going attire?).  During the show, I missed Baylee perform while I went to go check in for the after party.  I had stayed away from spoilers from the show and I was glad I did because the show was amazing...until the city of Chicago shut it down with five songs still left to go due to a noise ordinance. The Boys and the fans were not very happy.  Brian and I mouthed a little conversation with one another about what bullshit (his words, not mine) it was.  It was nice to get more interaction with him even though I was all the way back in the fourth row.  Then, I had a very nice UK football conversation with Kev at the after party before getting my photo with him.  So, even though the concert ended on a bad note, it was a day full of Backstreet (6am to about 2am the next morning) with many interactions.  I think this is why it ranks so high on this list.  Oh, and I got interviewed by the newspaper the next day about the early shut down.

1.  My other favorite Littrell - Okay, you may all want to sit down with what I am about to announce.....my number one event of 2013 is not a BSB event.  WHAT?!?!?!?!  I'm sure that is what you are all thinking right now.  Yep, my top event of 2013 is what I like to term my 2013 Baseball Bonanza.  I went to six minor league baseball games in six days, where I saw four former Kentucky Wildcats (Brian Adams, Trevor Gott, Corey Littrell, and Tim Peterson) at four different ball parks (South Bend, Troy, Brooklyn, Ft. Wayne) in two different states (Indiana, New York and also drove through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey).  I travelled a total of 1,800 miles for this trip and was on the road for a total of 30 hours.  Most importantly, and the reason I believe this made number one on my list, was the fact that I got to see my favorite Bat Cat, Corey Littrell, make his pro pitching debut.  He will only have one debut like this in his entire career and I was able to be there to witness it. It was a pretty successful debut, too.  What might have made it even better was the fact that I was able to share the experience with his family, friends, and fellow fans through my photos and videos of this very memorable moment for him.  The whole weekend, I felt as if all of the guys were showing me how truly thankful they were for my dedication as a fan.  From the tickets that were left for me by the players, to the time they spent talking with me after the games, I truly felt their love for their fans.  I don't think there is much else a fan needs than to just feel appreciated.

So there it is!  I have to smile knowing that I took a few other trips this year that didn't quite make the list (Wisconsin and Ohio with my husband for some racing, Lexington for a UK football game, and nine different trips to South Bend to see former Wildcats play in the minor leagues) because I realize just how lucky I was this year.  I told you when I started that I knew it was going to be a good year because I brought it in with the Backstreet Boys!

If i were to post my year with celebrities as photo collage, here is what it would look like:

My approximate mileage travelled in 2013 was 15, 229 miles to 16 cities in 10 states (CA, NV, IL, IN, MI, KY, NY, CT, NJ, FL) and two countries (U.S. and The Bahamas)!  Of course, this doesn't include those miles on the cruise from Miami to Half Moon Cay.

**Title Credit - "Feels Like Home" - Backstreet Boys - In A World Like This

And don't take too long...

*2013 Adventures to Come**

Now that I have FINALLY finished writing about all of my 2012 adventures, I need to start looking ahead to 2013.  Granted this list is not exhaustive since the Backstreet Boys tour is not announced at this time.  I imagine that I will be going to several of those shows.  Right now I have some other activities planned for 2013...

March 24 - Aaron Carter - The After Party - Joliet, IL:  This will actually be my first Aaron Carter concert but after meeting him in NYC in December, I knew I had to go.  The friend I am going with is a huge fan and wanted to try to meet him so we ended up getting VIPs to ensure this.  Since this is a general admission show and want to be as close to the stage as possible, we are planning on getting to the venue early and making a day of it...which will actually be my first time ever doing an all day general admission camp out.

April 13-14 - My Big Blue Weekend in Lexington: I knew after my experience at Regionals in Gary that I was going to have to actually make it down to Lexington to see the UK Baseball team play at Cliff Hagan Stadium.  I chose this weekend for certain reasons but was very excited when I realized that this would be the same weekend that the UK Spring Football game would be occurring.  How perfect did that work out???  I already have my tickets and will finally be meeting the person that I like to call my friend soul mate.  She is not only as big of a Kentucky fan as I am (that includes football, basketball, AND baseball) but she is also a Backstreet Boys fan.  I mean, how can it get much better.  I truly hope that another good friend of mine will be able to join me from Nashville as well because we have been talking about going to a UK Baseball game for YEARS!

April 20-23 - BSB Celebrates 20th Anniversary in LA:  Okay so I'm putting this on here even though I highly doubt I will be able to attend this...just in case some miracle happens that I do.  Even if I don't actually get to go to LA, you better believe I will be doing some sort of celebration at home on the actual day of their anniversary (20th).  

August 4 - The Package Tour featuring New Kids on the Block, 98 Degrees, and Boyz II Men - Indianapolis, IN:  I was originally going to see this show here in Chicago but the friend I was going with lives closer to Indy so we decided to go to this show instead.  I went for cheaper seats because I would really rather save my money for the BSB tour.  My 3-Day team will be raffling off a pair of tickets for the first Chicago show, which I may try to enter and win.  I wouldn't mind having to go to a second show if I don't have to pay for it.

August 9-11 - Susan G. Komen 3-Day - Chicago, IL:  Even after the pain and problems of last year, I will be participating in this walk again.  The cause just means too much to me to walk away from it so quickly.  I am bound and determined to walk all of this year and need to raise a minimum of $2,300 in order to even walk.  If you are interested in donating, you can do so on my Participant Page.

August 31-September 4 - NY Baseball Bonanza Part II - Troy, NY:  Okay, so this is another trip that I am not sure if I will for sure go on or not.  I had not planned on making another trip out to NY this year (or at least not before I found out what this year's draft looked like).  However, I received an incredibly awesome message today from former Wildcat, Tim Peterson, about my entry on last year's NY Baseball Bonanza and, I'm not going to lie, it made me fangirl a little.  So now, as long as he stays on the Brooklyn Cyclones and doesn't get moved in the league I might have to go watch him play.  The very odd thing is that his team plays the Tri-City ValleyCats (the team for which my friend Michelle works) at the same exact time that I went there last year to see the Hudson Valley Renegades play (the week of Labor Day).  I think that might be a sign.

October 25-28 - BSB Cruise 2013 - Miami, FL - The Bahamas:  It has been much to long since the 2011 cruise and I am SO ready to get back on a cruise ship with those Boys!  I am sure this will include a pre-cruise event on the 24th.  Also, the girls and I are planning on taking a small mini-vacation after the cruise because those BSB cruises are anything but relaxing!  I mean when you are partying with BSB for four days, how can you actually relax?

I guess that is it for my planned trips, as well as those that I really want to take but might not be able to for some reason or another.  I totally cannot wait to see what BSB concerts I will be able to throw into this list!

**Title Credit - "If I Don't Have You" - Backstreet Boys - Backstreet's Back**

Lookin' back on the things I've done....

**Top 12 of 2012**

As I sit back and reflect on my 2012, I realize that I had another great year even though it was vastly different than my 2011.  2011 had been filled with quantity, while this year seemed to be all about quality.  Because I did so many events in 2011, my Top 11 of 2011 contained specific happenings within my events.  However, my Top 12 of 2012 tends to contain events as a whole because there weren't as many of them as 2011 and because the events I did go to brought quality interactions as a whole.

Danny Wood tweets me a "thank you" with a photo he
found and cropped himself

12.  Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure  - In 2011, I had attended six NKOTBSB concerts and at each one I became more and more inspired by Danny Wood and his commitment to fighting breast cancer in memory of his mother, Betty Wood.  With my grandmother being a breast cancer survivor, I decided that it was my turn to join in the fight.  So, I began a Team Betty for the 2012 Chicago 3-Day and started my fundraising and training.  $4,120, 60 miles, and one congratulatory tweet from Danny Wood himself later, I could not have been more proud of my accomplishments.

My Backstreet girls in the
nation's capital

11.  Backstreet goes to Washington  - What is the next best thing if you can't have the Backstreet Boys?  Having a fun filled weekend with all your Backstreet friends, of course!  After the 2011 Cruise, us Backstreet fans had no idea what was in store for our 2012.  We knew NKOTBSB would be doing a European tour and that chances were there would be no cruise in 2012.  How could we go an entire year without seeing the Backstreet Boys, and in turn, not seeing our Backstreet friends?  We fixed that quickly with a Backstreet reunion in Washington, D.C. in June.  It was great seeing all of the girls again as we had Backstreet dance lessons in front of the White House, designed Backstreet superheroes (Nick was a ninja!), privately did Backstreet karaoke, ate tons of Mexican food (because DC is where you go to eat Mexican apparently), talked non-stop about Brian's sparkly blue eyes, and recounted all of our favorite 2011 cruise memories (mostly how the blue team played #betterly than the yellow).  At the time, I thought it would be my the only time seeing the girls this year...however, the Backstreet Boys came through in the end with a group of concerts on the east coast.   

Aaron Carter and the "blue monkey
head"

10.  A "Fantastick" Day in NYC  - When the Backstreet Boys announced a few shows on the east coast at the end of December, my Backstreet friends and I were so happy to be able to see one another again.  Many of them had the opportunity with MixTape and Good Morning America to see the Backstreet Boys and each other...I was not so lucky.  The two of us that were actually flying in for the shows decided to extend our trip at the beginning, giving us the opportunity to spend the day in New York City.  In Madame Tussaud's wax museum we showed the shapes of our heart to the large BSB mural on the wall and told 'N Sync how we really felt about them.  We then later spent the evening in a vicious cycle of laughter with the cast of "The Fantasticks," including Backstreet brother, Aaron Carter. 

9.  BSB Tweets - Sometimes it really is the smaller things in life that can make a person so happy.  Sometimes all it takes is something as short as a three word tweet or a message to thousands a fans displaying a video you recorded at a concert to make you jump out of your bed, run into the living room, and do a major happy dance in front of your husband.  2012 marked my first tweets from a Backstreet Boy (two from Nick and two from Brian).  While my Nick tweets did not mention me specifically, he was sharing my videos I had taken at his February show in Chicago.  This led to a huge jump in views for these particular videos, as well as a growing number of subscribers to my YouTube account. 

Brian's tweets, however, were directed at me...with one of them incorparating my other favorite thing, the Wildcats!

Doron Lamb (Milwaukee Bucks) and Marquis Teague
(Chicago Bulls)

8.  Meeting former Wildcats turned pro - I received an early birthday present this year when I got to meet two University of Kentucky Wildcat basketball players that were on the 2012 Championship team when they sat at a table next to me at a restaurant in Lexington.  While I find that the UK Baseball players I have met are MUCH more personable than these two were (maybe because they have been drafted into the NBA), I was still greatful that they agreed to take a photo with me.  For some reason I think of the student athletes at the University of Kentucky as celebrities even though they are just students who happen to play a sport there.  Maybe its because I treat University of Kentucky as others would treat a professional team....or maybe its because these college athletes may eventually go on to become professional athletes (much like these two).

Corey Littrell...yes, you read the
last name right

7.  UK Baseball Regionals - I think all of my readers knew that I was a UK basketball and football fan, but they probably don't know how my love for the University of Kentucky baseball team (Bat Cats) has grown this year.  2012 marked the year that I FINALLY got to see the Bat Cats play in person thanks to the fact that they played their NCAA Regional tournament just a short 45 minutes from my town, rather than the 6 hours it would take me to travel to Lexington to see them play.  Here I got to meet my favorite Bat Cat, as well as his family, and witness the longest baseball game I have ever seen...a marathon 21 inning game.  This wonderful experience also led to a later baseball adventure in New York.

Michael Williams (#35, Hudson Valley Renegades),
Tim Peterson (#22, Brooklyn Cyclones), and Luke
Maile (#21, Hudson Valley Renegades)

6.  New York Baseball Bonanza  - After the amazing time I had at the NCAA Baseball Regionals, I decided that I wanted to try to go see some of the newly drafted Wildcats on their new minor league teams.  It just so happened that two of the players that were drafted onto the same team were playing the team that a sorority sister works for.  So, I made my way to the state of New York to attend not one, not two, not three....but FOUR minor league baseball games and meet three former Bat Cats.

Nick Carter and I

5.  "I'm Taking Off" with Nick Carter - 2012 marked my first Nick Carter solo concert in February.  It also just so happens that I bought a VIP for this show, allowing me to get my first solo photo with Nick.  This is also the concert that led to number 9 on this Top 12 list.  The concert was so amazing that I wanted to just drive onto the next stop on the tour.

Brow down, goggles up...we
brought 8 back to Rupp!

4.  NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four - The University of Kentucky men's basketball team dominated in 2012 so it was no surprise when they made it to the Final Four in New Orleans...and how convenient was it that it was during my Spring Break for work?  As the dominant team all season, chances of them winning the championship were very high so I felt that if I was ever going to be able to witness a championship in person, this would be the year.  As streamers and confetti rained down upon the Wildcats after they won their 8th National Championship, I couldn't have been more excited to be there to witness this very special team win a special game.

My four favorite guys and three of my favorite girls (sad face
for my other favorite girlies not being in the photo)

3.  BSB in Atlantic City  - While BSB had several special events in 2012, I was not able to attend any of them.  Imagine how happy I was when the Backstreet Boys announced several shows that they would be doing at the end of December on the east coast....especially since it had been over a year since I had last seen them as a group during the 2011 cruise and some very good friends just happened to live right in the middle of all of the excitement.  The Silver VIP that my friends and I bought allowed me to see Brian after a very special and important conversation that we had back in September.  The concert allowed the Boys to do a combination of older and newer songs, as well as allowed each member a solo song.  It was similar to the 2011 cruise concert but included enough differences to make it a unique show.  Besides, it allowed another year to see the Backstreet Boys.  I also tried my first ever after party, where I was lucky enough to get a photo with Howie.

Bringing in the new year with great
friends

2.  New Year's Eve with the Backstreet Boys - I had trouble deciding if this would go under 2012 or 2013 since this particular show started in 2012 and ended in 2013.  Why can't it be a part of both my Top 12 of 2012 and Top 13 of 2013???  My friends and I dominated the soundcheck with the Bronze VIPs that we decided to buy at the last minute by having two of our requested songs sung and two of our questions answered.  Anyway, this concert was very special and nothing like I have done before since I actually got to bring in the new year with not only some of my best friends, but the music group that means the world to me.  The Backstreet Boys helped the audience bring in the new year by pausing their concert for a countdown, balloon drop, and their own special rendition of "Auld Lang Syne."  By bringing in the new year with BSB, I fully expect 2013 to be the best one yet.

A birthday dream come true with Brian
and Leighanne

1.  Wylee Party in Roswell - There were so many things that made this event amazing and number one on my list.  First, it was on my birthday.  Who wouldn't want to spend their birthday with Brian and Leighanne Littrell????  Most of all, I had the most amazing conversation with Brian that lasted a good 45 minutes....and not just any superficial conversation, but a real heart to heart where he gave me advice and shared his own personal stories that I had never heard before (if you haven't heard the story you need to click on the link and read it NOW!).  Most importantly, I finally got to thank him for influencing me to make the best decision one can make....becoming a Christian.  As I am typing this I am getting goose bumps just thinking about that weekend and what that day meant to me.

As I read back over this list, I also realize one thing.....I have a lot of blogging to catch up on!  I am so behind.......

And as will become tradition, my collage of meeting "celebrities" in 2012 (in quotes because of the UK athletes pictured) in collage format...

My total approximate mileage travelled in 2012 was 9,433 miles to 14 cities and 9 states....overall a pretty good year I say!

*Title Credit - "Shape of My Heart" - Black and Blue - Backstreet Boys*